My slimmers world experience so far.

In January this year i decided that i was going to do something positive about my weight which was causing me a few health issues.

I had been to the doctors about an ongoing thyroid problem i had, the doctor said he could refer me to a nurse for help with my weight. The referral was for a health advisor, who would weigh me and send me off to either slimmer's world or weight watchers. My appointment with the nurse went as expected, with my weight coming in at the heaviest i had ever been........ I might put my weight down on here at some point.

The nurse asked if i wanted Weight Watchers (WW) or Slimmer’s World (SW)? I opted for SW; however i would have to wait five weeks before i could go to a group.

I had a good idea of how the SW diet worked; i simplified it to a low fat diet. I began the diet immediately in my own style shaped loosely around SW free and easy. I stayed on it for the next five weeks whilst i waited to go to group.

My wife was very supportive of me, she shopped in a way that the food in the cupboards and fridge were easy for me to use and prepare. She also took on board the low fat diet, though she did not need to lose a great deal of weight herself. 

The first four weeks went by in no time, with me averaging 4lb loss per week. I weighed myself every Saturday morning while no one was around...........when i look back i have no sound reason for this as I am not embarrassed. I mean i am not obsessed by my weight, after all it is just the way i am.

The fifth week came along, as did the butterflies. I had chosen a group local to me in Chasetown which took place on a Thursday evening. The time and day this group met were just what i needed, as weekends and day time groups would not work for me. On the Thursday evening i began getting a bit twitchy as i was feeling a little nervous.........”all those women, I hope there's some blokes there as well”! I weighed myself at home and to my amazement i had lost in total from the day i started some 20lbs. I do have to add here that, those first three weeks are hard to get your head into, however they are easy to shed that excess weight in my opinion.

Thursday evening came, i prepared a meal of beans poached eggs and SW chips for me and the wife. It has to be said that i think baked beans are the food of the gods, i can eat them cold and hot alike. At that time they went with at least one third of all the meals i prepare. 

My wife, who may have been inspired by me heading off like a brave little soldier, weighed herself and recorded her weight. She wished me luck then waved me off just like one of the kids about to embark on their first day at school.

The group met in the local Methodist church at 7.30pm. I was there for 7pm as requested, to have some kind of introduction meeting. I sat around a small table with a couple of other new members and listened to the wonderful "Joolz" telling me how things worked and reeling off too many good tips for my poor old brain to remember in one sitting. The lady sat immediately next to me, 'Sarah' said she had been to SW before and that in her opinion Body Magic was very important. Well too right she was, i endorse that opinion whole heartedly, now i have experience a couple of months of it.

The introduction takes about 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes you are equipped with the SW bible, which contains recipes and syn values of all sorts of food. You are required to stay through the meeting that occurs after all are weighed. I had done this once at WW, and not enjoyed it. I sat down in the half moon of chairs with little expectation of anything remotely interesting happening. To my surprise I was thoroughly entertained for the whole time, at times laughing out loud. Joolz was both funny and informative with a useful dose of understanding. This was the point where I said to myself “you’re going to need this group going forwards stay whenever you can”. The people who stayed at group were both humble and magnanimous at their results. Some made jokes about their gains but you know what, they had stayed to face it which I comend. Others revelled in the glory of their loss and rightly so.

It was now my turn to weigh in, no embarrassment or sharp intake of breath from observers, it was all rather cordial. My weight was, as I expected or very close to it. I picked up my books etc and headed off into the distance.

I spent hours reading through the books, identifying food that was free, or super free that I actually looked forwards to eating; there was plenty of it I can tell you.

My wife from this point will be referred to as “Mi Julie” shopped accordingly when she next did a ‘big shop’. I had a decent loss the first week (loss by week listed below). I was amazed that I did not at any point feel hungry. One of my biggest decisions was to cut out bread entirely as it was inevitably going to be my Achilles heal I thought. I have stayed with this for 6 months now and do not miss bread at all. I do however feel (as I expect alcoholics do) one taste and I could end up a train wreck!

Mi Julie weighs in on the Thursday mornings; she has never attended a slimming club as she is in reasonably good shape most of the time.

The first week of going strict on the diet mi Julie had a 2lb weight loss and exclaimed “it can’t be correct as I have felt like I am over eating”! The weight has continued to come off her in small amounts to this day, she is now at an ideal body weight and needs to maintain from here on in.

The meetings were a joy to attend and somewhat inspirational. Joolz left the area and the group about 8 weeks into my membership. At the time I had torn my Achilles tendon and had a month or so in plaster unable to drive. My weigh in’s for four weeks were brief, in and out as I had to rely on lifts to the venue.

It was a joy to find out that the lovely Rachel (one of the group) had made the not insignificant decision to train as a consultant and take on the group.

It has been a pleasure having some one I knew taking over the group. She is enthusiastic funny and a good leader in my opinion, so all power to her in the future.

The group remains inspirational; it’s a fuel cell for my ambition of reaching a target I have stored in my head. I have become somewhat emotionally involved with the group to the extent that I find myself feeling their pain when they gain and their elation when they lose. I have a strange thing that runs through my head at the ‘weigh in’s’. I feel empathy for the people who are struggling with their weight! It angers me that people who fight hard to control their weight are made to feel stigmatised. It’s all because they carry a little more timber than your average super model. I want to say “you are beautiful; don’t let your weight be a source of sorrow or anguish, keep your head held high”.

I am naturally fat; well that’s my excuse anyway. I don’t care for people who form an opinion of me because I weigh more than them, nor should others. If you lose weight one week, well good on you, if you gain…..well I bet you had a good time doing it, and it will come off next week.

The best part of me losing weight at this present time is the friendships I have made. These friendships are with people I admire for their fortitude and courage in tackling a problem they see with their appearance.

Rachel is a cracking leader who would like to put her own stamp on the way she does things, which I think is fantastic. I hope in the future more people stay behind to the meeting no matter if they have gained or lost…. I nor anyone else for that matter form opinions of each other based on our gains or losses, we are all brilliant.

Weight loss weekly, ss = hold.

·        -4

·        -5

·        -3.5

·        -4

·        Ss

·        -8

·        -1.5

·        -1

·        -4

·        -2

·        -2

·        Ss

·        -0.5

·        -2

·        -4

·        -1

·        -4.5

·        -2

·        -5

Here is my food diary for week ending 10^th July.

Friday; Breakfast; Bowl mixed super free fruit + 200ml fat free Greek Yoghurt. 
Lunch; hand full of strawberries. 
Dinner; Green peppers, Mushrooms, Whole leafed spinach, slimmer’s world chips with stock cube, 4 Quorn sausages 2 syns 
Pudding; 20g special k granola (healthy extra b) pineapple chunks, 200g of fat free Greek yoghurt, sweetener. 

Saturday; Breakfast; Baked beans, tinned tomatoes, lean bacon, eggs x 2 Quorn sausage x 3 0.5 yns each. 
Lunch; White rice, chicken in tikka massala flavour. 
Dinner; Spices, tomato peseta, stock pot, whole potato's, spinach 1/3, onions, 3 Quorn sausages 0.5 syns each (curry). 
Pudding; 2 x Digestive biscuits, mixed fresh fruit and sweetener, Quark (cheesecake). 

Sunday; Breakfast; Bowl of mixed fruit and fat free Yoghurt 200ml. 
Lunch; Cold pasta, tomato, lean bacon pieces. 
Dinner; Beans, sw chips, vegetarian sausage. 
Pudding; none. 

Monday; Breakfast; Bowl of fruit with 200ml Greek fat free yoghurt. 
Lunch; Bowl of white rice and chicken pieces. 
Dinner; white rice, allowance of feta cheese, peppers, onions, sw chips, Quorn chicken slice. 

Tuesday; Breakfast; Bowl of fruit with 200ml Greek fat free yoghurt. 
Lunch; Apple Banana. 
Dinner; boiled potatoes, mixed veg, boiled chicken breast, roast potato's (air fryer, one cal) 
Pudding; Fresh Mango, fat free fromage 150ml, 25ml granola. 

Wednesday; Breakfast; Bowl of mixed berries with 200ml of fromage frais. 
Lunch; 
Dinner; Mixed salad, boiled egg, fat free cottage cheese healthy option feta, strawberries and a peach. 

Pudding; 25grm granola, chopped banana, blueberries topped with 200ml fat free yoghurt. 

Thursday; Breakfast: Bowl of mixed berries, 200ml of Greek fat free yoghurt. 
Lunch; few strawberries. 
Dinner; Basmati rice and vegetables with sw chips. 
Puddings; cheesecake, 2 digestives (low fat) raspberries and strawberries, fat free lemon quark.

There’s so much great energetic food you can have on the sw diet. i have put together a fun montage of such meals, please enjoy.